Fluke's Netdaq is a hidden gem

A professional grade data recorder, within the DIYer's budget? Yes!
Aside from making the gold standard in handheld electrical tools, FLUKE also has a lesser known lineup of top-of-the-line data recorders. This device can measure & record pretty much anything (electrically) you want: AC/DC voltage, current, resistance, temperature, frequency... faster than you can blink an eye. Although they're not the latest models, the 2640A and 2645A are practically just as capable, for a fraction of the price. With this capability in your hands, what could you do?

[@MrPolluxxxx]

The big advantage compared to a Pi is that the fluke has a whole multimeter front-end, with input protection, range selection and a well implemented ADC. To get the same utility out of a Pi, you'd have to develop a whole circuit each time you make a new test setup or build a DIY multimeter front-end with a multiplexer(which is not economically interesting).

[@SimEon-jt3sr]

True AF lol

[@pubcollize]

iirc there are issues with Arduino and sampling, it's fine for as a hobbyist control board but for data collection one would expect consistent sampling. and also iirc the Pi is even more lax than the Arduino.

[@MrPolluxxxx]

@pubcollize As always, depends on what you are trying to do. There are situations where a hobbyist is better off using old professional equipment like the netdaq. SBCs and Microcontrollers are great, and building a full test setup from scratch can be a very cool hobby project.

[@badatgaems]

Frying stm32 chips is my passion though

[@conorstewart2214]

@@pubcollize one major possible issue when using a pi for data sampling is the same reason it isn’t good for motor control or similar tasks, it runs an operating system. The operating system runs a scheduler and tries to juggle all the tasks that need processing time, meaning that timing is not precise, that is why real time tasks are often done on microcontrollers with the pi kept for higher level tasks.

[@ChrisSmith-rm6xl]

"I have it on good authority that the piece on the bottom (which is clearly labeled "strain relief") is a strain relief." 😊

[@BusyMDan]

:)

[@LabiaLicker]

"The sign is a subtle joke"

[@LydellAaron]

Oldie but goodie. Devices like this are gold.

[@haroldsmith45302]

Thank you for introducing us to this interesting and potentially very useful instrument.

[@BusyMDan]

Thank you for your kind words! I really enjoy making these videos (everything about it, from recording to editing) and it means a lot to me when others can get value from them. My goal is to focus my videos on projects/topics that are generally obscure (like this one) or if I do something different from how other videos/sources show it. To help other DIYer's learn and most importantly to have fun!

[@haroldsmith45302]

@@BusyMDan If I had sufficient space I might buy one of these Fluke data loggers, but I don't, so, with regret, I won't. I have, however, subscribed.

[@Steven-mv4bb]

The algorithm has smiled upon you. Congratulations, sir!

[@gorak9000]

It also smiled upon all those on ebay selling them at reasonable prices. All the ones left are stupid expensive now

[@SansNeural]

@@gorak9000Yup. I came looking to post a comment like that. Looks like the 2620A is still cheap and does the same stuff, but talks IEEE-488 instead of IEEE-802.3.

[@duckhuntergaming4713]

I do not know what this is or why I would ever need this. I do not know what it does or why I would get recommended such a video. You convinced me it is a good device tho.

[@JohnTarbox]

I did not know about this Fluke; now I want one. 🙂

[@WilsonPendarvis-tn3wm]

Expertly taped. Love that

[@bakuhost]

Wow great to see that instrument, really appreciate. I saw something similar with the siglent 5 1/2 dmm with so called scanner card and it was practically the same as shown on this fluke BUT it was just a bunch of relays multiplexing single dmm measurement channel so very slow and for some applications measuring speed is important. This fluke checks all the boxes in my head

[@russellzauner]

These are cool...I also used to use the HP 34970, which older HP branded (you'll find Agilent, then Keysight - HP's test and measurement division has evolved lol and those brands will be similar item but way more expensive) units I've seen available for under 100 USD. I'd rather have headless units because then your test gear is not subject to the obsoletion of the host system (went through the blaster virus with a bunch of Tek scopes that were running a custom version of XP/2k/NT, nightmare...then you had to *know somebody* to get even the old drivers for a rebuild) and you can upgrade incrementally to improve performance/stability without having to crack open or send back your actual test gear, front end and all.

[@SimEon-jt3sr]

Cool. Well.i learned today. Thanks man!

[@thatpaulschofield]

Interesting that they chose a "Play" button to start recording rather than a "Record" button.

[@PTFVBVB]

that spin was clean af

[@bob_mosavo]

Thanks, Dan 👍

[@MattThompsonOnGoogle]

Really hoping to be able to pick up the old 2620A from work sometime. Similar, but more buttons, and test lead inputs for Channel 0 - very nice for reading directly off your source.

[@jimturpin]

Heeeeey! Thanks for the tip! I use the old HP 3488A acquisition units to do all the switching, but unfortunately the measurement functionality is through additional equipment. I'll have to pick up one to play with, looks like a great way to log signals and such.

[@MrPolluxxxx]

Get a multimeter you can interface with and you essentially get the same functionality.

[@WilsonPendarvis-tn3wm]

You could not be more excited than I would be. If I were to have that. An oscilloscope, is my favorite adult's film actress to me. And any other electronic equipment is still near as delightful. Thank you for your wonderful video. You don’t know how much I appreciate it … Mwahahaha

[@julianriccomini2072]

Nice introduction on the Netdaq. I have one, but I've been having trouble getting it on my network for some reason. Can you make a video explaining the setup of the device?

[@magic.marmot]

Turns out I *am* a software guy, one that specializes in talking to machines. That's a very cool box. If I had time to focus on a project, this would be a top contender. However, I already have a Saleae logic analyzer and an MSO that let me figure out everything I've needed so far, and I'm trying to remain employed. However, the company I work with does have need of some more specialized equipment, and I'm going to pass this on to them.

[@benharv]

Great video. The YT algorithm worked for once! Subscribed. Thanks.

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

I like the idea, but I don't have an application for such a device. And I have to watch every penny since I am retired. I have a Fluke graphing multimeter I bought decades ago, and it does the single function of voltage monitoring I need, very well. But if I were testing battery pack discharge curves, this would be a great tool, especially if I were doing many packs at a time!

[@FixedUntilBroken]

Even as old as these are they still work great. Im pretty familiar with the Keysight DAQs are also pretty affordable. The Keysight is much smaller as well so it might be better for a hobbyist with limited space. The fluke is consentanly cheaper though.

[@jtktam]

Thank you for introducing this "classic" product do you have any tips on where to get the correct software?

[@UnusualAudio]

I really like my older Fluke Hydra II, it's like having 21 multimeters connected to my computer (albeit with RS232).

[@michabartczak1743]

Hi, great video! Do you, by any chance, have the access to full version of the NetDAQ software? It seems impossible to find, and the trial version can only run for 60 minutes.

[@dont-want-no-wrench]

pretty cool if you need to do that kind of thing

[@HowieDue416]

I like, subscribed AND commented... Good on you Dan for your video, dont ever give up on your youtube dream! But also dont be afraid to make videos for less niche consumption

[@shawnm8232]

This is professional grade video production from someone with 433 subscribers.

[@jackgerberuae]

+1

[@Jerguu]

"No shortage" - my brother in christ I think this video made them all sell out!

[@BusyMDan]

I have noticed that there are much, much less available now. Completely unexpected.

[@Jerguu]

@@BusyMDan I tried to buy one immediately after watching your video so I imagine a lot of others did as well!

[@rbus]

Have a lot of DAQs here from research for work, def gonna pick me up one of these though. Been using an odd one that looks like some contraption built for music making by Teenage Engineering.

[@robd003]

Are there any open source interfaces to the Fluke? What happens if I only have ARM systems?

[@rcjoy]

Taking a look at the manual, it seem the NetDAQ does not support VXI-11, so you are going to be stuck using the Fluke proprietary software instead of being able to write your own.

[@gorak9000]

It's ethernet - it should be super easy to sniff the packets and reverse the protocol - but this video got popular, and there are none available at reasonable prices now

[@asilron]

I really don't need this.....BUT I WANT ONE!

[@1957mrbill]

That looks like a Fluke Hydra Data Bucket without the front panel entry keys?

[@extylerm]

I knew I kept an XP computer for a reason.

[@jasonk5979]

Interesting device. I wonder if the software would work on Linux/wine?

[@LabiaLicker]

Was just thinking the same thing. Would be trivial to sniff the Ethernet packets

[@Steven-mv4bb]

How does this compare to something like the daq970 from Agilent?

[@systemG3000]

How do you calibrate it?

[@gregowen4806]

Hi Dan, good video. Where can I find NetDaq software? Thanks

[@PorkChopify]

You cant anymore. Fluke discontinued it. LMAO what a failure of a video

[@zapa1pnt]

The newer Fluke software doesn't Need to be any better than the old. It just needs to operate properly, on the newer operating system.

[@RedPorch]

Loser mentality.

[@BusyMDan]

You're very right @zapa1pnt ! Functionality on newer OS's is the most important. That being said, with the resources and budget of Fluke, isn't it defacto expected the newest software would be... not ancient?

[@zapa1pnt]

@@BusyMDan: Well, if there is no new functionality to add or bug to fix, why mess with it? If it aint broke, don't try to fix it. 😁✌🖖

[@TonyBarr99]

How do I find an activation key for the DAQ software?

[@mcw1593]

Nice, but we don't use this device at work. We use the Agilent 34980A. More slots. More cards. More junk in the trunk.

[@rootney]

is the software still on flukes website, normally they try to force you to buy new hardware when its that old. i would like to buy one i assume the software is not locked with a key. that fact that it uses eathernet makes its easy to spin on a windows xp vm

[@conorstewart2214]

How would this compare to the analog discovery and similar boards from digilent? This just seems like a massive waste of space that could probably have been made much smaller and in an easier to use form factor but I do get that this had a specific use case it was targeting and the unit is probably a standard size.

[@pingumcping]

Should be called a NES DAQ... amirght?

[@The22v10]

I bet some Labview on that would Knock the Block off.

[@fyfoh]

These were super old when I started my last test lab job in 2007.

[@BusyMDan]

You're right! They are super old, but despite having Fluke's latest DAQ's at work, I still find myself using these about half the time... With the old software too.

[@singizitp]

And very accurate and stable. If I could find a license key, I would pick them everytime.

[@terroshak]

This old… Dan is it you ? ☺️

[@DaveEtchells]

Holy cr*p! That’s an _insane_ price for that functionality, just nuts! Now I gotta go buy one even though I don’t absolutely need it and don’t have any machines still running XP 😂 (Thanks for the tip!)

[@RussellTeapot]

Maybe you can run the software in a virtual machine running XP? I don't know how Ethernet is supported, I know for instance VirtualBox does support networking but I'm not sure if you can give access to Ethernet to the virtual machine

[@DaveEtchells]

@@RussellTeapot Ah, thanks: that reminded me that I have a Parallels license, and even have a virtual machine set up for XP on it. It’d be a tight squeeze to run it on the little MacBook Air I have on my lab bench, but I’m sure it could be made to work just for transferring data. (I dunno about virtual box, but you can connect vms to the network with Parallels.) thanks for the suggestion!

[@davestorm6718]

@@RussellTeapot You should be able to. I used VirtualBox (Oracle) running XP for an older PBX system, and got the com ports to pass through, just fine (it used 2 RS-232 ports, 1 for the PBX and 1 for the VoiceMail).

[@Wil_Bloodworth]

Were you able to get the newer Fluke software to work on Windows 11? I'm definitely not going to install an ancient version of Windows just get this thing up and running.

[@freeagent4lyfe]

Just run xp in a virtual box

[@BusyMDan]

Natively, the FlukeDAQ software won't install on Windows 10 or 11. I've tried a number of times. I agree with you that running windows XP is less-than-ideal. I don't connect the XP machine to my network or the internet for security reasons, which makes it an extra inconvenience. I haven't tried XP emulators in Win 10/11, but this may be an option. Having a spare machine I can install XP on was just the quickest/easiest solution. On the plus side, since it's not connected to anything, it always works when turned on and nothing ever updates (breaks)... unlike much of the software these days!

[@Wil_Bloodworth]

Nah, it's not worth it for me. Too many things just never work (for me) between virtual and real.@@freeagent4lyfe

[@jackgerberuae]

Get a $100 laptop to match and install XP

[@StuartTaylorEsquire]

Is that canukystan dollars? Here in Gitmo east, they start at around a thousand US pesos pre loved ☹️

[@BusyMDan]

Yes, the prices are in Canuck dollars. The best prices and selection for Netdaqs is for mainland US customers. People outside the US (like me) have to pay a premium depending on how far away our country is. That is, if the seller is even offering to ship there...

[@LabiaLicker]

@@BusyMDan Shipping to Australia is double the price

[@SpacePortArcade]

I'll stick with a modern USB analyzer that works on modern OS. Inexpensive and small nowadays. Requiring the old PC desktop software and network connection is a no go.

[@louisvl10]

aww now i want one yet i have no use for it

[@lullobiertje]

Personally I would advise against using fluke. Expect for their handheld multimeters Keithley and Keysight (prev. Agilent) also have daq solutions . And they are SCPI compatible. An open control library allowing for integration with modern programming languages. That includes python. But Keysight also offers proprietary software that is up to date has large library of compatible instruments. And most fluke software support is not great especially for older products.

[@aysnov]

Yeah but avoiding fluke is annoying... You always have to measure twice to make sure it's not a fluke!

[@RussellTeapot]

@@aysnovHA!

[@BusyMDan]

Thanks for your feedback- I agree with you that Fluke's software, even to this day, is... no where near where it should be (to say it gently). I have used the Keithley DAQs and agree that there are advantages with other systems. And very likely in capable hands can do more. But, programming (even simple stuff) is outside of my wheelhouse, and I think it is for many people too. The shear plug-and-play ness of this old NetDAQ I think can suit many a DIYer, as it has me.

[@sakaraist]

I love my Agilent gear, but by god is most of it expensive. Replacement parts for anything you need are readily available, but they're often at prices that are suited for industrial use rather than personal. I've pieced together most of my gear from units being sold for parts otherwise I wouldn't be able to justify the costs.

[@BillyNoodles]

how much did u pay

[@thequickestfox6106]

Aaand they're all gone now :)

[@BusyMDan]

That thought had crossed my mind. Then I realized that I'm pretty obscure on KZbin. Anyways, thanks for watching!

[@thequickestfox6106]

@@BusyMDandon't undersell yourself! :) Niche market and a niche audience. I think that there was a shallow stock available and now it's got some interest it has backlogged it. I will definitely be picking one up when that situation normalizes.

[@crackwitz]

The Algorithm is already giving your video lots of eyeballs. Anyone wanting such a thing will need to grab one now, before sellers get wise.

[@Tokaisho1]

None exist anymore for sale

[@barrylinkiewich9688]

Is it cool and an amazing tool? Yes, heck yes. Do I need one? Sadly, no. Great video though, short, concise and plenty of relevant information.

[@davestorm6718]

I could write better software, however, the demand probably isn't enough to justify it. This Fluke probably has a separate ADC for every channel. I wonder if they have opto-isolators? Anywho - looks like the interface was built in Visual Basic or Visual C++ by an electronics engineer (they often pick the simpler language and use stock libraries, instead of getting knee-deep in code - I've seen $100K lab equipment with software written in VB 20+ years ago).

[@BusyMDan]

You're right, its probably a demand issue, combined with knowing the customers will tolerate it. I suspect you are right about the ADC and also about the opto-isolators. The newer 2638A's you can hear a mechanical "click" for every channel read, for these older boxes are quite silent...

[@MBkufel]

Damn, I can imagine this thing being useful for everything, from chemistry to meteorology

[@TheDc1984dc]

How can the compute power of an XP machine read data faster than a Windows 8 plus newer system?

[@BusyMDan]

I don't think XP machines can read data faster than a WIN8+ system can, but I also don't know why it would need to... As long as it can keep up with the output of the Netdaq, which it easily can, then we're golden. Remember that these Netdaq's came out when XP was mainstream (as well as the associated hardware of the day), so they're designed to work with what we consider older computers now. The computer in the video is actually my old primary computer before I upgraded to something newer. It was running windows 10 quite well (and still does because I am dual-booting it with XP). Now it's my workshop PC (so handy!). Luckily, even though the components are newer, there are XP drivers for them.

[@LabiaLicker]

While unrelated to your misconception. The state of windows has gotten unbelievably bad.

[@AUSPetrol]

Ive been looking for a good daq.... if only they were as cheap delivered here 😞

[@BusyMDan]

The eBay prices shown are in CAD. So the USD price would be less. Also I would expect the shipping within the US to be less than what I paid. Not sure about these outside of Canada/USA.

[@tasherratt]

In the UK we are looking at round £1000 $1700 Canadian for 2nd hand 2640As sadly way outside the average hobby price range.

[@BusyMDan]

Try searching the US site of eBay and contact the sellers via private message even if they say they only ship Canada/USA. I've had luck that way before.@@tasherratt

[@gorak9000]

The video got too popular, all the inexpensive ones are gone - people that have no intention of using them, or setting up the software snapped them all up

[@AnonyDave]

Oh fun, every single one on the hell auction site is over $1k (but mostly $2k), plus about $200 postage to this part of the world

[@zaphhood4745]

Black those QR codes more. they have error correction built in.

[@BusyMDan]

Thanks for the heads-up!

[@nick9323]

It's cold in your lab )

[@singizitp]

I am stuck with 2 of these beutiful loggers simply because I can not get a license from Fluke for the software. The software I have runs in demo mode only. They say they have stopped support on the NetDAQ and the 2638A Hydra Series III, thus I am stuck with Demo software which is useless for what I want to do. What a shame, this is just a beutiful product.

[@skeveharvey]

is it a battle royale? what kind of game is this

[@emdxemdx]

Software guy here: it’s your hardware thing that’s voodoo stuff… :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[@erikev]

I think this was a goo setup a long time ago. Today it would be much easier to have digital sensors on a 1-wire bus (or I²C, SPI etc). Sensors are dirt cheap: 24 bit air pressure/temperature is $2. Same for most other sensors. And the goal is not to look at it on a screen. The goal is to gather data, and analyse in excel og an AI tool. Maybe a dashboard with gauges

[@BusyMDan]

I love DIY solutions, doubly so if they're super inexpensive. These days the Arduino and Pi are an amazing opportunity for those willing to take on that project. I wish they were around when I was younger. Unfortunately, I'm terrible at programming and have no time or patience to try. I'm more about focusing on the projects that the DAQ can help me work on rather than have the DAQ be the project. But I'm sure there's others for whom setting up a DIY DAQ would be a piece of cake, and I tip my hat to them...

[@crackwitz]

It's a piece of lab equipment. It's cheaper than spending the time to build the capability yourself.

[@carneeki]

@@BusyMDan Sigrok might be something the DIY DAQ people are already aware of. It's the software that talks to the device to get the samples onto a screen / csv file. The hardware supported page is a bit of a hodgepodge of supported, work in progress, and planned sadly, but the hardware needed is often pretty cheap.

[@CraftingCake]

If you think that these are even comparable in accuracy, you're clearly mistaken. I tinkered with an BME280. It couldn't even measure the room temperature accurately because it warmed itself up from the supply voltage.

[@charlesdelajoux4951]

Wouldn't we be rather at 1300$ instead of 185$... I found one on ebay for 380$ but out of service

[@Gork-an-Mork]

This vs LabJack

[@Kabodanki]

Can measure anything you said ?... I guess i'll pass, I don't want to be sad

[@charlesurrea1451]

I would rather have an old 34970. But there's a ton of smaller decks out there these days that do the job just as well for a fraction of the price

[@PorkChopify]

Unfortunately, The software is discontinued and impossible to find.

[@aftbit]

Honestly I want the opposite. I want a simple C or Python application that reads from these on Linux without a GUI and logs to CSV or something like that. Then I can leave one in situation for a long period of time, collecting data without running janky Windows XP software. If there were an open source driver application for these, I'd already have bought 4 used on eBay at that price.

[@donaldhoot7741]

LOL! Windows is anything but "janky" LOL!

[@BusyMDan]

For running an experiment long-term, I fully agree... its not optimal to have something that relies on a computer. My intent for this instrument is for measurements I can take within a day.

[@BusyMDan]

You know, it's been refreshing using XP again after such a long time. Since that computer is offline, it just always "works". No updates, bugs, surprises etc... when I turn it on, it works like when I turned it off. Definitely a different user experience with newer windows versions. @@donaldhoot7741

[@donaldhoot7741]

I use Windows 10 on one and 11 on another, They are both flawless. He's just a Linux TROLL!@@BusyMDan

[@ThomasKurz-ll1kx]

Is the sw still avaylabl?

[@mumujibirb]

sounds extremely appealing but I have no use for this

[@AgentOffice]

Bigly

[@billdberger7407]

Seems like all the trashbag people on ebay have used this video as an invitation to go completely insane.

[@CallistoPili]

I was excited for one second, then I looked at the cost and then my mood changed drastically. too expensive for a normal person.

[@Mtron1000]

bro every ebay listing is so expensive no where near what your video says

[@andr27]

it all depends on money you spent on it. If its cheap then fine to go with it, if (most likely) enormously expensive, then see no reason to buy this in place of old raspberry

[@TheSwissGabber]

Looks more like a nightmare to me then a hidden gem: It's bulky, end of life, needs outdated software.. the user manual is 30 years old! It calls for a 386 with Win3.1. 150$ + shipping for 30 year old HW seems like really bad advice. You are going to spend, or waste, a lot of time setting up something obsolete. Invest your time and money better by a.) getting something newer or b.) building your own (will take the same time but should be more fun)

[@gorak9000]

That's ok, you just leave all that old "junk" for other people to "waste their time and money on". Most people don't agree with you seeing as ALL of the cheap ones sold in the last few days. Only ones listed for $500 or more are still available.